Here is the story of perhaps the finest soul singer of the rock era--Etta James. One of the great women of American music, equally at home singing blues and jazz, Etta regales us with tales of her chaotic childhood, the stars she ha...

Jelly's Blues recounts the tumultuous life of Jelly Roll Morton (ca., 18851941). A virtuoso pianist with a larger-than-life personality, he composed such influential early jazz pieces as 'King Porter Stomp' and 'New Orleans Blues.' Ho...

Drawing from interviews conducted before Marvin Gaye's death, acclaimed music writer David Ritz has created a full-scale portrait of the brilliant but tormented artist. With a cast of characters that includes Diana Ross, Berry Gordy, ...

The epic, rollicking, up-and-down life of Muddy Waters, who went from Mississippi farmhand to musical legend, who invented electric blues and created the template for the rock-and-roll band and its wild lifestyle, is brought into shar...

Sam Cooke was the biggest star in gospel music before hecrossed over into pop. His first single under his own name, 'You Send Me,'went to #1 on the charts and sold two million copies. At a time when recordcompanies treated black artis...

'I have no time for lies and fantasy, and neither should you. Enjoy or die.'--John LydonPunk has been romanticized and embalmed in various media. It has been portrayed as an English class revolt and a reckless diversion that became a...

The Temptations were the most commercially successful and critically lauded male vocal group of the '60s and '70s. Through the years, the group's trademark razor-sharp choreography, finely tuned harmonies, and compelling vocals made t...